Means for and method of adhesively activating and dispensing individual heat seal strips and labels



Nov. 20, 1962 AHJMEIS-ENBERG ET AL, 3,064,

MEANS FOR ANDNDIHQD OF- ADHEsINELY: ACTIVATING,

AND? DISPENSING INDIVIDUAL HEAT SEAN. STRIPS. AND LABELS Filed. June 29, 196.0 '5 Sheets-Sheet 1 DIIQTDMI IW WJ ATTORNEYS Nov. 20, 1962 A. J. EISENBERG ET AL ,9

MEANS FOR AND METHOD OF ADHESIVELY ACTIVATING AND DISPENSING INDIVIDUAL HEAT SEAL STRIPS AND LABELS 5 sheetse-sheet 2 Filed June 29. 1960 INVENTORS EISENBERG FRASER BY 60,07 1 I ARNOLD ROLAND ATTORNEYS Nov. 20, 1962 A. J. EISENBERG ET AL 3,064,959

MEANS FOR AND METHOD OF ADHESIVELY ACTIVATING AND DISPENSING INDIVIDUAL HEAT SEAL STRIPS AND LABELS Filed June 29. 1960 3 SheetsSheet '3 INVENTORS :ARNOLD J. EISENBERG ROLAND K. FRASER AWOL JWAQ ATTORNEYS United States 3,tl64,95 MEANS FOR AND METHGD @F ADHEKVELY ACTIVATHIG AND DESPENSENG HNDHVEDUAL HEAT SEAL STREPS AND LABELS Arnold J. 'Eisenberg, Nashua, and Roland K. Fraser, Amherst, N.H., assiguors to Nashua @orporation, Nashua, NH, a corporation ot Delaware Filed June 29, 196%, Ser. No. 39,533 Claims. (Cl. 263-2) This invention relates to the adhesive conditioning and dispensing of individual or single cut heat seal strips and labels for application to various articles such as packages, bags, boxes, containers and others for the display of identificational and other information thereon. It aims to provide for easy and clean and rapid handling and adhesive conditioning of such labels through the medium of simple and relatively low cost means for the practice of the novel method concerned.

In the drawings illustrating one embodiment of a manual machine or device for the stated purpose:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the same as a whole;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section on a larger scale as on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, looking down in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section substantially centrally of the device as on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the device on a smaller scale, showing the same in dispensing position; and

FIGS. 5 to 9 are partly diagrammatic views representative of various steps of the method of the invention, and wherein FIG. 5 shows the taking of a top labelfrom a supply stack,

FIG. 6 shows the dispensing of a preceding label by the operators hand en route to presenting the selected label to the adhesively conditioning means,

FIG. 7 illustrates the feeding of the selected label into the entry port of the device and into which the label is to be dropped,

FIG. 8 shows a finger of the operator adhesively picking up a previously conditioned label while that seen at the top in FIG. 7 is being adhesively conditioned in the device, and

FIG. 9 shows the sealing application of the conditioned label of FIG. 8 to an article, the completion of the step of FIG. 8 and ready for repeat of the process as at FIG. 5 in a continuous flow operation.

Under the method of the invention a supply such as a stack of individual pre-cut strips or labels is made available adjacent the activating and dispensing machine set on any horizontal surface such as a bench or counter convenient to the operator and at which the articles to be labelled are provided. As indicated in the accompanying diagrammatic views illustrating the manner of operation the procedure in general comprises the steps of picking up the top label of the supply stack, releasing any previous label from the machine so that it is dispensed in adhesive ready-for-nse condition, inserting edgewise and dropping the selected label into the top entry port of the machine wherein a heater-containing substantially vertical or steeply inclined passage is provided, the label being placed in the passage with its adhesively activatable face toward the front, away from the heating plate forming the rear wall of the passage, and adhesively picking up and applying the previously conditioned and dispensed strip to the selectedarticle or ob ect while the instant strip is being heated to adhesively activated condition, whereby such steps are repeatable in a continuous flow operation as at a package line.

In coordination with the method the present invention further embraces the novel device or machine of which Patented Nov. 20, 1952 an exemplary embodiment is herein disclosed, with more particular reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, especially adapted for the practice of the labelling method concerned.

The machine or device as a whole comprises a housing frame designated generally at 1 having an upright frontopening box-like body or case 2 including transverse top and bottom walls 3, 4 and vertical longitudinal side walls 5, 5. The frame case 2 is adapted to stand erected at a. steeply inclined angle substantially as shown as for example at an angle of about 30 from the true vertical when set on a horizontal surface such as that of a counter, table, workbench or the like. For so supporting the case the latter is provided at the lower end with a front supporting leg 6 shown as a downwardly projecting and slightly forwardly dished sheet member of about like width as the case and adapted to serve as a delivery guide for the dispensing of the adhesively conditioned strips downwardly and forwardly across it. The supporting means of the frame further includes a downwardly and rearwardly directed leg 8 shown as of generally rectangular form and of tableengaging width adequate to afford with the front leg 6 firm positioning support for the device as a whole. For compactness in shipping the rear leg 8 may be detachably associated with the rear wall 7 of the case as by means of an attaching flange 8' at the upper end of the leg 8 and turned rearwardly to stand flatwise against the rear wall 7 of the case and provided with slots or apertures for attaching screws and the like 9.

The described case or body 2 of the device defines within it a compartment it) for the heater plate designated generally at 2% to be referred to. The housing frame or case 2 as shown is further provided at the upper end with an in-feed guide and locator element 12 comprising an upwardly projecting flange on and formed integrally or otherwise with the top wall 3 as by forwardly and then reversely rearwardly folding the sheet material thereof as indicated at the upper portion of FIG. 3 and thereby providing a dependent guide lip 13 adjacent the upper end of the heater plate 2%.

It will be understood that the described frame and case may be variously constructed and arranged as for example of metal or other heat resistant sheet material formed more or less integrally as in the illustrated embodiment. For ventilation and dissipation of heat the case walls may be provided with a series of ventilating apertures, as at the rear and top walls, and at the lip 13, as indicated at 14.

The heater plate 2% comprises a top plate member 21 of metal of good heat conductive propertie such as aluminum and of a length and width at least that of the corresponding dimensions of a strip of maximum size to be handled, together with a hacker member 22, see FIG. 2, with one or more vertically elongate electrical heater elements, of which two are indicated at 23, 23, FIG. 2, sandwiched between said outer plate member 21 and backer 22, preferably with the vertical side edges of the outer plate turned enclosingly over the side edges thereof to define the entire heater plate 20 as a unit.

Such heater plate 2% is supported on and in the casing body 2 in the erect and at least steeply inclined position indicated, as at the mentioned angle of about 30 to the vertical and so as to define the rear wall and main plane of a vertical passage with top and bottom opening and adapted for receiving, containing for heating, and dispensing the individual strips to be adhesively conditioned. Said heater plate Ztt as illustrated is fixedly held at the open front of the body compartment 10 and in heat-insulative spaced relation to the body walls as by means of transverse yokes or brackets 25, 25, of which two are shown at the upper and lower portions of the body, FIG. 3. Such brackets herein include generally horizontal forwardly extending arms 26 extending from base portions 27 afflxed as by brazing or the like to the rear wall 7 of the body and laterally turned at the front ends as at 28 for supportive reception of the side margins of the heater plate 20 secured thereto as by screws 29'. Thus the front face of the heater plate 20 is disposed in strip receiving and guiding upright position and in line with the strip entry directing guide means l2, 13 above it and the front face of the strip dispensing guide below it and constituted by the front leg 6.

Heating energy for the heater plate 29 is supplied herein electrically to the resistance heater means 23 of the pl-ate connected in circuit by means of leads 30, 31 from an electrical conductor cord 32. terminally equipped with plug-inattachment 33 at any convenient electrical outlet.

Desirably automatic temperature control is provided for the heater plate 2% as by a thermostatic switch unit designated as a Whole at 35, FIGS. 2 and 3. Any known or preferred such thermostatic control may be employed, as a snap acting or other so-called appliance type thermostatic switch. The unit 35 illustrated by Way of example contains separable leaf supported electric contacts 36, with reference elements 37, 38, the latter adjustable by the screw 3% accessible through 'an opposite aperture 7 in the frame back wall '7. The control may be factory set for maintenance of an average satisfactory activating temperature for most uses. In the event that a given labelling operation for any reason is found faster or slower the heat as controlled by the thermostat may be increased by slight turning of the screw 39 in the appropriate direction, as to the right, as viewed from the rear of the device or oppositely for decreasing the heat.

The device further comprises a front cover element indicated as a whole 4% and which together with associated parts further defines the vertical passage into and from which the strips are entered, adhesively activated and dispensed. This cover element 40 is shaped, constructed and arranged to overlie and conform to the body or case 2 of the device and the heater plate 2% thereof, being in this example'of elongate rectangular form and having a front wall 41 and vertical side walls 42. At the top the material of the front wall is extended and a major central portion thereof is downwardly and forwardly turned to provide a strip guiding lip 43 cooperating with the guide 12 of the body 2 to define a slot-like mouth or top entry opening 44 to the strip-receiving and feeding passage already mentioned. At the respective lateral ends of the guide lip said entry opening 44 is further defined by top wall parts 43, 43' adapted to overlie the top wall 3 of the case 2 in the installed position of the parts. At the lower end the cover element 4% has a transverse bottom wall 48 dimensioned in the horizontal direction to provide between the rear edge thereof and the case bottom wall 4 and the front supporting and strip guiding leg 6 a delivery port or dispensing aperture 46 at which the adhesively conditioned strips are deliverable from the passage.

The upright steeply inclined passage in the device for receiving, adhesively conditioning and dispensing thestrips is more immediately defined by the heater plate 20 forming the main rear wall thereof and by heat reflecting and strip guiding means carried on the cover element 44 Noting particularly FIGS. 2 and 3, such means comprises a re flector or reflecting plate having a main plate portion 50 generally coextensive in area and vertical and lateral extent with the heater plate 20, for constituting the main frontwall of the feed passage and having rearwardly turned side walls '1, 51 adapted in the normal closed position of the parts to lie along the sides of the heater plate 20, between them and the frame case 2for providing reflective side walls for the passage and for laterally guiding the strips. At the lower end the main reflector Wall 50 has a laterally extending downwardly and rearwardly projecting guide flange 50a leading to the delivery slot 46. I

The described reflector and guide means is mounted on and within thecover element 40 in spaced heat insulative relation to it. Between the reflector plate 50 and the inner face of the cover front wall 41 a plate-like body of heat insulating material 53 flatwise overlies the reflector plate. Such heat insulation 53 and the reflector as a whole are flxedly positioned upon the cover as by means of screw bolts 55 with spacer washers 54 interposed between the cover and the insulation.

Extending transversely of the passage at a lower portion thereof, above the exit port 46 and the bottom edge portion of the heater plate 20, there is provided in accordance with the invention means for arresting the down travel of each strip S fed or dropped into the top passage entry 44. For minimum contact with the adhesive substance of the strips such arresting means is constructed and arranged to have but slight surface contact with the heater plate during the heating interval and with the strip, both during such interval and subsequently in the dispensing of the adhesively conditioned strips when released for dispensing passage downwardly between the arresting means and the heater plate, upon release from the arresting means, herein by retracting or moving them away from the heater plate Zllby manual lifting of the cover element 4% as a whole at the lower end portion thereof. To this end the arresting means comprises a plurality of slender finger-like members 60, 60 protruding angularly downwardly and inwardly at a lower portion of the reflector 56), These fingers are illustrated as stiff Wires of heat resistant nature, with the free ends terminating in transverse alignment and adapting them to lie resiliently against the heater plate 20 in the normal closed position of the device. At the upper ends said wire or like fingers 69 are suitably affixed to the reflector as by brazing, looping through the reflector plate or otherwise. These strip arresting fingers are located lengthwise of the passage, herein adjacent the lower end thereof, so as to interpose the finger tips below and in blocking relation solely with the lower edges of the strips there to receive and retain within the passage for a heating interval strips of the maximum size to be handled in the given device.

As will be understood from the description together with the drawings the normally non-tacky pre-cut strips or labels S, supply stacks of which are indicated at the lower right in FIGS. 5 to 8, have at one face a coating which is activatable by heat .to a usefully adhesive condition. As contemplated by the invention these strips are inserted in the device with the adhesively activatable face uppermost, directed toward the front, toward the operator in the views, hence away from theheater plate 20. When so dropped into the machine, as in FIG. 7, with the adhesively activatable face, indicated by ,the legend copy in FIGS. 5 to 8, away from the heater plate 20, it falls into the passage way between the heater and the reflector and comes to rest with its bottom edge upon the arresting wires or fingers 60. The hot surface of the heater, in part by conduction through the strip body and in part by radiation to and reversely from the reflector, in conjunction with the elevated air temperature in the passage way, activate the adhesive upon the strip or label.

In many instances the strips subjected to adhesive heat-v ing retain substantially'their initial plane,which condition, particularly at the lower end, tends to be preserved by the downward and rearward arrangement of the fingers 60. In other instances there is tendency for the strip to curl, which'curl, with the strips fed in as disclosed, is

invariably'or predominantly away from the heater, tend- 7 ing particularly FIG. 2, may be integrally or otherwise formed on or secured to the reflector, being shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 as longitudinally flanged reflective channel members suitably afiixed as by brazing, riveting or the like to the adjacent main face of the reflector 50. Such ridges 58 as evident in FIG. 3 come into play only in occasional instances of curling and then touch only the terminal edge wall of a strip where they remain out of contact with the activatable adhesive face thereof, similarly as do the bottom-edge-blocking stop fingers 60.

It will be understood that under the invention the small-area strip blocking or arresting means constituted by the wire fingers 60 are movable with respect to the passage, to take them out of the path of the strips and to permit the further downward feed of the strips by gravity and the dispensing delivery of the adhesively conditioned strips downward across the delivery guide formed by the front leg 6. In the illustrated example said arresters 60 are carried with the reflector 50 and the cover 40 and dispensing withdrawal of said arresters is effected by lifting movement of at least the lower portion of the cover 40 in the manner as shown in FIG. 6. Accordingly in the illustrative embodiment the operative element pair comprises the body or case 2 and the opposed component cover element 40 and are mutually provided with means affording horizontal pivotal support with respect to each other and whereby the cover element 40 or at least lower portion thereof may be lifted or moved away from the body 2 and heater plate 20 thereof in the manner mentioned. Accordingly the frame includes at the side walls 5 of the body 2 laterally projective lugs or pivot trunnions 70, 76 in lateral alignment and adapted for preferably demountable pivotal engagement with open bearing formations 72 adjacently disposed on the side walls 42 of the cover. Thus the entire cover element 40 may readily be removed from the frame for inspection and access to the interior of the device. Said pivotal interconnecting and supporting means such as 70, 72 are located in the vertical direction, lengthwise of the device at such point that the movable element, herein the cover 40, automatically returns to the normal closed position as in FIGS. 1, 3, 5, 7 and 8, when the cover is released following a dispensing action, such as that of FIG. 6, somewhat greater weight being disposed below than above the pivots 70. In such return to and positioning in the normal closed status the free ends of the arrester fingers 60 make contact with the upper face of the heater plate 2%), maintaining the cover element and the reflector 50 thereof in the spaced relation such as illustrated and presenting the described erect steeply inclined passage of the slot-like horizontal section suitable for receiving the strips from above and dispensing them downwardly to the user.

For easy and repeat manipulation of the device to accomplish the withdrawal of the arresting means 60' and attendant dispensing release of an activated strip such as Sa, FIGS. 6 to 9, the cover is provided with a manipulating member 75 positioned and arranged to receive behind it in lifting position a finger of the operators hand, noting FIG. 6. Such finger piece 75 is shown as a laterally projecting arm secured to the cover 40, as at a lower portion of the top face thereof as by one of the screw bolts 55 by which the reflector means 59 is attached to the cover. For compact shipping purposes the manipulator arm 75 may be swung over onto the top wall of the cover in non-projecting relation.

The means and method of the invention, the various steps of which method will be apparent from the foregoing and particularly in connection with the partly diagrammatic series of views 5 to 9, are applicable to normally non-tacky heat sensitizable strips of various materials and compositions, such for example as that of the patent to Perry 2,462,029 of February 15, 1949. Among such the invention is especially suited to the placing of nomenclature information on packages and articles by means of pre-cut labels composed of a translucent or transparentized dry and water-resistant paper having at one face a dry thermoplastic water-resistant adhesive coating which when activated by heat becomes sticky, readying the label for use. Such nomenclature paper labels available in the trade under the trademark Print-Shield are adapted to have the information printed, typed or otherwise applied at the adhesively conditionable face, the same being applied in reverse so that upon application of the label in the use position, as in FIG. 9, the copy is legible in correct order of reading through the translucent carrier body. The method as illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 9 is facilitated by the use of a spreader instrument I adapted to be carried in the palm of the operators hand throughout the course of a continuous flow operation and whereby upon picking up with his finger applied to the then uppermost adhesive face of a dispensed conditioned label Sa, FIG. 8, the label may be inverted onto the article and bonded in place by a single or two stroke motion of the spreader, while the next succeeding label is being adhesively activated in the device in the appropriate time interval of a few seconds, on the average of 5 to 19 seconds or thereabouts.

It will be understood that our invention, whether as to method or apparatus is not limited to the exemplary steps or embodiments herein illustrated or described, and we set forth its scope in our following claims.

We claim:

1. A manual activator and dispenser device for pre-cut strips and labels of a type having at one face a normally non-tacky coating adhesively activatable by heat and adapted to carry printed copy at said face, said device comprising a heater plate with means for heating it, said plate of a length and width at least that of the corresponding dimensions of a strip of maximum size to be handled, a frame to support the plate in at least steeply inclined erect position, a coextensive reflector in horizontally spaced opposition to the heater plate for defining therewith a like-inclined strip-receiving passage open at the top for strip inlet and at the bottom for strip delivery, said passage having a spacing dimension between said plate and said reflector for maintaining free clearance between said reflector and the activatable face of a strip disposed flatwise adjacent said heater plate with said activatable face away from said plate, and movably mounted means extending transversely of the passage at a lower portion thereof in position to engage solely the lower edge of and thereby to arrest a strip dropped into the passage inlet for subjection to heat from the plate and reflector, said arresting means adapted for manual retracting movement to release and downwardly dispense an adhesively heat activated strip from the device without contact of any part of the latter with the adhesive face of the strip.

2. A heat-seal activator and dispenser according to claim 1 including a front cover at the inner face of which the reflector is mounted, and means on the frame affording horizontal pivotal support for the cover thereon for forward swinging movement of at least the lower portion of the cover to release and downwardly dispense an adhesively conditioned strip from the device.

3. A heat-seal activator and dispenser according to claim 1 wherein the arresting means for the strip comprises a plurality of slender finger-like members protruding angularly downwardly and forwardly from a lower portion of the reflector, said members in the normal passage-forming position of said reflector having limited terminal contact with the heater plate so as to stand below the lower edge of and thereby to block further downward travel of a strip in the passage during a heating interval therefor.

4. A heat-seal activator and dispenser according to claim 2, wherein the strip arresting means is carried on 7' the cover for strip releasing movement with the lower cover portion, the latter having an externally projecting manipulator for finger engagement by the operator.

5. In article labeling and like uses by the adhesive application to the articles of paper labels and like individual pre-cut flexible strips having a normally non-tacky adhesively heat-activatable face and particularly including labels having printed COPY at said face, the method comprising the -following steps: erecting an at least steeply inclined generally vertical walled passage of slot-like horizontal section with openings at the top and bottom and adapted for receiving, gravitationally feeding and dis pensing individual strips, the main plane of the passage being defined between a heat-transmitting rear wall of at least strip area and a paralleling heat-reflective front wall with interposed lateral guides for the strip vertical edges; the front wall of such passage being spaced from the rear wall sutficiently for substantially free drop of the strips along and between the walls subject to guidance dominantly by the rear wall under gravitation of the strips toward it; supplying heating energy for substantially uniformly heating the passage rear Wall to radiate heat across the passage and reversely reflectively from the front wall thereof; manually presenting at the'passage top opening an individual strip to be adhesively conditioned, with the plane thereof paralleling the main plane of the passage and with the heat-activatable face of the strip facing the passage front wall; freely dropping the strip into the passage under gravity action; arresting the strip in the passage near the lower end thereof by therev I the frontfa c'ing adhesively conditionable fa ce thereof to heatradiant from therear wall heating source and passing conductively through the strip and reflectively from the passage front wall; and after a heating interval wherein said front strip face is heat activated to usefully adhesive condition releasing the strip for continued gravitational dispensing travel and guidance into an emerged access position in which the strip is presented with the heat-activated adhesive face foremost and exposed in readiness for applicationrto an article, and effecting such strip releasing by manual removal of the stop means from such blocking position below the lower strip edge thereby to deliver the strip by gravity through the open lower end of the passage so widened by said manual removal of the stop means as to avoid mechanical contact with the 20 adhesive strip face.

References Cited in the file .of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,929,907 Collins Mar. 22, 1960 

